The Countryman vs the Original Mini

<p>Not digging those 8 spoke wheels. They remind me of the Crown Spokes which were the R56 replacements for the S-Lites. The S-Lites, I think, were supposed to look like overscaled Mini-Lites. I know people complained they were heavy but they were pretty cool looking. The Crown Spoke, and now these don’t have that same vibe.</p>

<p>Better wheels please.</p>

<p>Unfortunately the average adult (notably the average American adult) is much bigger now than he/she was in the 1960s, too.</p>

<p>It looks like the wheelbase on the newer MINI is about the same as the total length of the classic Mini. Wow.</p>

<p>UNFAIR COMPARISON.</p>

<p>If anything, they should be showing a Mini Traveler next to the Countryman, not a Mini Cooper. It’s not apples-to-apples.</p>

<p>And of course any new car is going to be bigger; there’s a lot more safety built into today’s cars.</p>

<p>The simplicity and small scale of the original Mini is what influenced me to purchase my Mini Cooper in 2008. The Countryman looks like a dog’s breakfast on steroids. The charm is gone, as is the design integrity.</p>

<p>After seeing the Countryman in person, sitting in it, walking around it, I actually like it. The front end of the Cooper is better than the Cooper S. In the end, it’s larger than an original MINI (no way to avoid that and still be able to walk away from a crash or pass all of the international standards), however it’s still small for what it is. It only seats four, but five would be very tight.</p>

<p>I want MINI to pursue future cars that are lighter and more efficient and maintain driving fun. And I want them to survive. Survival equals diversity in product and passing safety standards, especially in markets like the USA which is still hesistant towards small cars. As long as the Countryman handles well, I welcome it into the MINI fold. It’s a MINI, mini-compact crossover. Just enough extra space to keep people who want a MINI and need a little more room.
When we had our baby, there was no way for my wife to sit in the passenger seat with a car seat and it’s requisite base in the backseat. The Clubman is a little better, but not much. So we had to pursue something else. (I did keep the MINI though!) Do I wish the Countryman could have that 5th seat in the USA for a pinch when you need it? Yes. Do I wish it weighed a little less? Yes. But overall, it’s a great packaging job with good design (you really have to get up close to appreciate the subtlities). We just need to know how it goes down the road…</p>

<p>I can’t wait for first driving impressions! And I hope the next-gen MINI can use some of the new carbonfiber based materials destined for the MegaCityVehicle.</p>

<p>Does anyone know how the original Minis would fare in modern crash tests? To me, the Mini looks like the “crumple zone” of a Countryman.</p>

<p>David and Goliath?</p>

<p>@ dr – the original mini was certified for sale in other markets (the US is not the only part of the world with concern for occupant safety) almost until the year 2000.</p>

<p>@ lavardera – agreed on Crown Spokes… the single ugliest wheel ever sold on a MINI… a cheaper-to-manufacture S-lite that LOOKED IT! (As for the new 16″ wheel Gabe linked to, yes, quite decent. Certainly stylish and does not scream “cheap” like the Countryman wheels in the photo above. Overly shallow contours on 3D objects rarely look good.)</p>

<p>@ BMW – what’s done is done on the Countryman. But please get back to some desirable and sport-oriented offerings with more “mechanical soul”! If it takes getting Frank Stephenson back, or someone that can channel his design aesthetic… or if it takes going a whole new design route with the gen3 MINI and making the car more future-leaning like Gordon Murray is doing for his city car and like BMW showed in the 1990’s with their city car concepts… JUST DO IT! :)</p>

<p>“it’s larger than an original MINI (no way to avoid that and still be able to walk away from a crash or pass all of the international standards),”</p>

<p>I read remarks like this often.</p>

<p>How, then, do we reconcile the Smart’s crash test safety ratings, which due to the Tridion safety shell remarkably crash-worthy?</p>

<p>Parting shot – Small? Crash protection?
These comments from USA residents some of who refuse to wear seat belts and ride Motorcycles without helmets?
@ MatthewW – well said. What makes the USA different to European countries so far as small cars are concerned? Examples; VW, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat, etc. Fact – No speed limits on Autobahn, what is the USA speed limit 70-80 mph?</p>

<p>My first car was a used ’61 Mini 850, and I’ve been a fan of small, well-designed cars ever since. At the time I was amazed with its side-mounted engine, front wheel drive; and with the wheels at each corner, it had more interior space than cars twice its size. This basic design plus all the Cooper “tweaks” added later are what made it into a great performance car.</p>

<p>The original Mini was great for track racing, but I think it was too small and not very safe for normal street use. I can still remember looking out the side window at everyone else’s car doors. And even with its short length, I never parallel parked, since my head lights and tail lights were at the exact height of everyone else’s bumpers. Unfortunately too many people parallel park by “sound”. I chose to not even think about having a collision in it.</p>

<p>The original Mini was also small since the body shell was basically made of a single layer of sheet metal with no added framework and no insulation. It was miserable driving it around Tucson during the summer with the floor radiating heat from the engine compartment and the tin roof and sides radiating the heat from the sun. Also it only had a single sliding window in each door and the rear windows didn’t open, so there was no cross ventilation. And during the rainy season I couldn’t leave home because the Mini was too low to get across any of the washes that crossed most the streets.</p>

<p>I still had great fun with my Mini during my first year of college; that is until I rolled it over while sliding in some gravel. The rear suspension was a low-tech independent “suspension arm” and it twisted under the car when I hit a dry patch after sliding. The left rear wheel folded under the car and I slowly rolled into a ditch. After that, my dad and I took the suspension arm to a blacksmith who bent it back into shape. I also ordered shoulder harnesses from the JC Whitney Catalog and installed them myself by bolting them through the roof.</p>

<p>It amazes me that both of these cars only have seating for four…</p>

<p>I also like the new and the old.</p>

<p>@goat – nah, that’s not it. The rim is already much deeper than any of the spoke configs.</p>

<p>Gabe – glad i’m not the only one bugged by that design change and thanks for bringing these kinds of things up to MINI designers.</p>

<p>Lave – yes, the Countryman concept sketch wheels are more like it! That is not a flat profile and thus looks stunning. Perfect. Hearken back to Mini Lites, just like you said. Too bad we ended up with nothing like them in production… :(</p>